AMRITSAR: India has to be strong economically and militarily, if it is not so, other countries of the world would not respect and listen to you, said Marshal of the Air Force, Arjan Singh while addressing the faculty and students of the Guru Nanak Dev University here Friday.

Singh said, therefore, earnest efforts must be taken to improve the economy of the country and make the armed forces strong with latest armament to face any eventuality. Hard work, devotion, dedication, healthy contribution and spirit of competition are the key to success and mental satisfaction.

Singh was here to dedicate the decommissioned MIG-23 BN Aircraft installed at the Guru Nanak Dev University Campus.

Professor Dr. Jai Rup Singh, Vice-Chancellor welcomed Marshal of the Air Force Arjan Singh.

Marshal Arjan Singh said that if we are not economically so strong, the country could not progress and develop and also could not update the armed forces.

Thus the Government should have to take the necessary steps periodically to improve the service conditions of our armed forces.

He said there are many opportunities in defence services so more efforts should be made to attract youngsters towards it. He said defence personnel are the real people who sacrifice their lives for the protection of the nation.

He said there is a wide gap between rural and urban education, which is not fair. Singh said in the era of competition the education Friday is becoming more and more expensive and also becoming beyond the reach of a common man.

He said equal and more opportunities of education should be provided to the rural area to uplift their education and living standard. Healthy competition should always be encouraged, he added.

While talking about brain drain, he said there is no harm if qualified and skilled people go abroad and equip them with latest technology but they should maintain and preserve their rich culture where ever they live.

He also lauded the contribution of NRIs for the development of their home land. He termed hard work, devotion, dedication, mental satisfaction, healthy contribution and spirit of competition with fair deal are the key to success.

Singh also said that at some places of India our Jawans are working in very difficult conditions. They feel solitudes and loneliness which creates psychological problems for them and sometimes results in suicides.

He emphasized that some solution to such problems should be found out. He suggested that it could only be tackled by improving the service conditions, raising the pay scales, allowances etc of the armed forces.

While welcoming Marshal of the Air Force Arjan Singh, Professor Dr. Jai Rup Singh, Vice-Chancellor said that Arjan Singh is not just a name, it is a history in itself, indispensable to the people of India.

Marshal Arjan Singh informed that the cost of the MIG-23 BN is about 200 crore and the modern Aircraft is more expensive than it. The MIG-23 BN Aircraft is a fighter bomber and is one of the fastest Aircraft of the world at low levels.

It was inducted in 1981 to meet the IAF requirement of a Tactical Air Strike Aircraft (TASA). It has Russian origin and its Indian name is Vijay (Victory-BN variant), Rakshak (Saviour-MF variant).

MIG-23 is a single seater, variable geometry and multi role fighter. It also fitted with one 23mm GSh-23L twin barrel gun in the fuselage belly pack. It also carries air-to-air missiles like the R-23, the R-27, etc., air-to surface missiles, bombs, rocket pods and other ordnance.

It also participated in various operations i.e. Air defence of Siachen Glacier from 1985-86, distinction of having operated from Leh, the highest airfield in India, located at 11,000 feet above mean sea level, First fighter aircraft to ever operate from Thoise airfield in Ladakh.